Identifying Better Quality Pots

Pots come in different varieties and at different levels of quality - and price. Some pots are mass produced using molds while others are hand made by a master craftsman. Some pots are new, while others are antique. Some are made with cheaper clay, while others ... - you get the idea. There are many variables to consider when looking at a pot and deciding whether you want to buy it. This article will help you get started.

Mass Produced, Hand Made, or Something In Between?

One of the first things to do is to turn a pot over and look at the bottom. When most pots we saw were made in Japan any pot without a chop was probably mass produced. That didn't mean it wasn't a good pot, but it indicated that it wasn't the highest quality pot. Now that many bonsai pots come from China even those have chops so now you look at the quality of the mark. Is it crisp and clean or smudged?

Look at the bottom side of bonsai pots for a signature of the artist, a chop or “han”, and perhaps a sticker. The signature identifies the artist who made the pot. Signature pots are generally highest quality, followed by those with just a chop. Pots without anything are the lowest grade. Many of us are aware of the signature pots made by American artists Jim Barrett of the Los Angeles area who puts either JB or his entire signature on the bottom of the pots he makes. Another artist is Sara Rayner of Red Wing, Minnesota who makes one of a kind highly sought after bonsai pots. She also puts her signature on the bottom.

Pots made in Japan may include a sticker. A small golden red oval sticker indicates a good quality pot. A diamond shaped green, blue or gold sticker indicates the pot is of the highest quality. The elegance of a pot is recognizable in the lines on the pot and in the crisp cut of the holes in the pot.

The chop or “han” indicates the region where the pot was made. A catalog of chops indicates the region in Japan the pot was made, sometimes down to the individual shop.

Below is an example of a signature inscribed in the bottom of the pot. There's also a chop and a blue diamond sticker.

Signature inscribed in the bottom of the pot. Stamped Chop and Blue Diamond sticker

Here's another example from Jim Barrett -

Signature inscribed in the bottom of the pot. Stamped Chop and Logo

Below is an example of a chop and blue diamond sticker. This chop indicates this pot came from the Yamaaki shop in the village of Tokonome. It’s a well-regarded maker of bonsai pots.

Stamped Chop and Blue Diamond Sticker

Ryan Bell has put together an online directory of 600 chop marks listed at http://japanesebonsaipots.net/chop-and-signature-resource/

There’s also an online directory of marks used by makers in Tokonome. See http://www.tokoname.or.jp/bonsai/maker-e.htm

Pot Patina

What is Patina on a Bonsai Pot and Why Do I Care?

In bonsai we’re doing whatever we can to give the illusion that a tree is older than it actually is. Let’s face it, few of us can wait 50 years for a tree to develop character naturally so we use wire to shape the branches, carving of dead wood, root pruning and grafting, etc. to speed along the process. If you take a tree that looks old and put it into a pot that looks like it’s fresh from the factory the appearance will be “off” somehow. But if you put an old (looking) tree into a pot that looks old then the age of the two items compliment each other.

Basically patina is a change in the appearance of the pot’s surface. It’s not dirt, but rather a build up of minerals, oxidation, oils, fertilizer (salts), even microbial action that makes a pot look different than a new pot. Compare the two pots below. The bottom pot is very clean, almost new. Now look at the second pot. It’s got a lot of “stuff” on the pot and it looks like it’s been used a while.

Top pot has patina, bottom pot does not.

Patina Makes a Pot More Valuable

Pots with patina are worth more than pots without it. When you’re shopping for a pot look first at any old pots that are available. You don’t want cracks or chips and you want a pot that is well made, but as long is the pot meets those requirements if it also has patina, buy that one rather than the new shiny pot that looks like it was made yesterday.

Can A Pot Have Too Much Patina?

Yes. If the pot becomes so covered in patina that you can’t see the color of the pot underneath then it’s time to gently clean away some of the patina. Start by using a wet cloth, but that’s not cleaning enough you can also use a gentle plastic scrubbing pad to remove more.

Can we Encourage or Fake Patina?

The most important thing is to be careful when cleaning your pots not to remove any patina that has developed.

Also know that storing your unused pots carefully in a cupboard or a box to keep it safe isn’t helping you develop patina. Store your unused pots underneath your bonsai benches so that as you water your bonsai the water and minerals drip down on the the pots below. Mother nature will work its magic on the pots.

Rougher surfaces will develop patina faster than smooth surfaces, so an unglazed pot (like in these photos) will develop faster than on a glazed pot. But glazed pots also develop patina, just much more slowly. You should expect an unglazed pot to take at least 3 to 5 years to develop some patina while a glazed pot may take decades. So, don’t scrub it off!

Cleaning Pots for Show

Before we put a pot into a show we want the pot to look great. That means washing it gently to remove dirt. In our area we often have salt stains around the bottom of the pot. These white stains aren’t patina - so we want to remove these. People have use vinegar applied onto the white stain - and not the rest of the pot’s surface. Or, used a plastic scrubbing pad. Or for the worst cases used a rust eraser.

Then pots are given a very light coat of oil to make the pot shine. You want to use an oil that won’t smell bad when it decays / goes rancid so many people use walnut oil. But rather than buying a bottle of this expensive oil you can grab an old sock, toss in a handful of walnut pieces, crush to release the oil, and then rub on the pot’s surface. Other people like to use olive oil or another vegetable oil.